The dynamic of being: awareness of the body for a liberated voice

Résumé 0

As part oft he IDEFI-ANR Innovalangues project, the THEMPPO group (THEMatique Prosodie et Production Orale) is carrying out action-research based upon two complementary praxes which aim at liberating the voice in both second language teachers and their learners. The first praxis is the Silent Experience, which facilitates an embodied oral communication, relying upon the awareness of what is happening within the body, at every stage of the learning process. Work on breathing and the organs of articulation is followed by voiceless speaking aloud activities, before further exploration is brought in via the dimensions of emotion, play and imagination. The second praxis is the Engaged Body (in the interactional space). Here, the aim is to increase awareness of the impact and the quality of the nature of the space "in between" (the teacher and the learner, two speakers) and to use the voice as a bridge across that space. It means being in relationship with the environment, without losing contact with one's own body. This article shows how the two praxes can be interconnected in our ongoing teacher training programmes, the aim of which is to help teachers to be more confident in their own bodies and to give them a new perspective for feeling more at ease with oral production activities in the classroom.